All letting agents should be regulated and required to have minimum training qualifications in order...

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New rules to help crack down on rogue landlords in York could soon come into force.

City of York Council is considering imposing fines of up to £30,000 on landlords who do not meet safety and licensing regulations, as an alternative to prosecution.

The council believe that the proposed new measures to clamp down on criminal offences by landlords will give it the additional powers needed to tackle poor quality rental homes in the local area, raise standards and give tenants the protections they need.

This decision follows senior councillors agreeing almost a fortnight ago that penalties could be used as formal enforcement action to ensure that no landlord should gain financially from any failure to comply with legislation.

“Introducing these penalties follows government guidelines and complements our work to support landlords to further improve standards which I’m pleased to see is ongoing,” said Cllr Sam Lisle, executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods.

The government guidance advises that when setting the penalty for an offence, factors such as the level of culpability, level of harm, severity of the offence, mitigating factors and deterring other failures.

“High quality homes are good for the city’s private tenants and, in the long term, for the landlords themselves,” Lisle added.

The decision session for the executive member for housing and safer neighbourhoods will take place on Monday 16th October from 4pm and will be available to watch here.